Monday, September 12, 2005

UNIVERSITY PARK -- PennState will build the DickinsonSchoolofLaw's University Park location on Park Avenue next to the arboretum site. The university board of trustees approved the appointment of architects for the project during today's meeting. Polshek Partnership of New York, and Office for Planning and Architecture of Harrisburg will design the new University Park facility and the renovation and expansion plans for the Carlisle facility.

UNIVERSITY PARK -- PennState will build the DickinsonSchoolofLaw's University Park location on Park Avenue next to the arboretum site.

The university board of trustees approved the appointment of architects for the project during today's meeting. Polshek Partnership of New York, and Office for Planning and Architecture of Harrisburg will design the new University Park facility and the renovation and expansion plans for the Carlisle facility.

University officials have said the University Park facility could cost $60 million. The university had also looked at putting the building at the corner of Park Avenue and University Drive and at Research Park.

PennState spokesman Bill Mahon said while all three sites had advantages, the chosen location will put the school near the Smeal College of Business' new building and other university facilities. He said it will be easy to get to and look out over the arboretum.

Plans for the University Park law school campus follow an ongoing dispute between PennState and some members of the law school's former board of governors. Some members of the board and the Carlisle community did not want to see a University Park campus. Under the agreement between the university and the board of governors, that board was dissolved and a new seven-member one will be appointed.

Board approves architect for law school expansion, renovationFriday, September 9, 2005

University Park, Pa. -- Moving forward on Penn State's plans for a two-campus Dickinson School of Law, the University's Board of Trustees today (Sept. 9) approved the appointment of Polshek Partnership of New York and Office for Planning and Architecture of Harrisburg, Pa., to design plans for the renovation and expansion of the current facilities at the law school's Carlisle campus and the construction of new facilities at University Park.

Gary C. Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business/treasurer of the university, explained plans for the expanded facilities at both campuses will include courtrooms, legislative hearing rooms, auditoriums, libraries, state-of-the-art classrooms, common spaces and exterior gathering spaces.

The original portion of Trickett Hall at the Carlisle campus will be renovated, along with the construction of a new building. The planned new facility at University Park will be located north of Park Avenue, adjacent to the Arboretum and in close proximity to the new Smeal College of Business Administration Building and Forest Resources Building.

The board members will also discuss plans for the Dickinson School of Law.

By Jonathan J. Hukill

Collegian Staff Writer

The Penn State Board of Trustees will meet today to consider how much funding the university will request from the state Legislature and to make further plans for the Dickinson School of Law.

Board members will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave., for an all-day meeting to discuss current issues affecting the university.

Penn State spokesman Tysen Kendig said the major issue on the agenda will be the approval of the university's 2006-07 state appropriation request.

"It could very well be a request to have the state return to the 2001-02 funding level, which was higher," he said. "It has a big bearing on what we're able to do with tuition rates."

Kendig said the university needs to ask for more funding because of previous cuts by the state. The university made the same request to the Legislature last year but was denied the funding. Last year's state appropriations totaled $323.6 million, though the university requested $334.8 million.

"We're still catching up to almost $44 million in budget cuts from the early part of this decade," Kendig said.

Undegraduate Student Government (USG) Vice President Luke Adams, who will be representing USG at the meeting, said he wants to talk about tuition.

"I don't get very long to talk, but tuition will be a big issue," he said.

Adams said he expects state appropriations to decrease this year, which will hurt students.

"You're just going to see more of what you see every year, like higher student activity fees, higher gym fees and increasing tuition," he said. "Whatever they can hike up, they hike up."

USG faces problems with trying to lower tuition every year, he said.

"Getting our voice heard isn't the problem," he said. "Getting the legislators to care enough to take us seriously is the trouble."

He added that the university would also be considering the appointment of an architect for Dickinson School of Law buildings as well as the possibility of building new graduate housing on campus. The trustees will debate the proposals for the capital budget request, which funds construction projects on Penn State campuses.

"We're moving ahead with our plans for the dual-campus structure," Kendig said. "These are the early steps in making that a reality."